This invention relates generally to jewelry and more particularly to a flexible chain of substantially constant cross-sectional outline throughout a major portion of the length thereof and having a narrower necked down area and at least one decorative piece slidable along and retained on the chain and which can be placed on or removed from the chain at said necked down area.
The amount of jewelry worn can vary considerably from one function to another depending upon the occasion and/or mood of the individual wearing the jewelry. To satisfy this it is desirable to have a basic piece of jewelry that decorative pieces can be easily added to and removed from as desired without fear of accidental removal of the added pieces.
It is known in the prior art to have a basic jewelry piece and add thereto decorative pieces as desired and by way of example reference maybe had to U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,072 granted Oct. 6, 1998 to T. Michaels. Disclosed therein is a band bracelet with decorative pieces that have a pair of projections defining prongs or lugs and can be slid onto the band from an end or the band may be wedged inbetween the prongs using a twisting motion. The pieces can slide on or off from either of the two ends of the band and thus the patentee discloses utilizing some means to anchor the decorative pieces to the band at the desired location on the band.
The present invention comprises a means of mounting a jewelry piece on a flexible member such as a chain with one or more decorative jewelry pieces having a pair of spaced apart prongs extending therefrom for removably mounting on the chain by way of a narrow necked down minor length portion of the chain preferably adjacent the clasp. Of course, the narrow portion could be located on any position of the chain or the clasp as well, just so that there is a neck having a reduced width between adjoining wider portions of the chain, necklace, or clasp or other means of attachment. By locating the neck adjacent the clasp, decorative mountings can be added or removed by the wearer even without having to disconnect the clasp. The decorative jewelry pieces have an open ended channel in the rear face thereof slidably receiving therein the necklace. A gap in the channel is wider than the narrow necked down portion but narrower than the remainder of the necklace.
More particularly, in accordance with the present invention there is provided a jewelry piece comprising a length of flexible chain having detachably interconnectable clasp portions. The clasp portions permit changing the chain from one state to another. It may be worn as a single discrete length or alternately worn in an endless loop. The chain has a necked down narrow portion proximate the clasp with the remainder being of a substantially constant cross-sectional outline dimension throughout its length. At least one ornamental piece having a front decorative face and a rear face, and a pair of spaced apart prongs projecting from the rear face define a channel slidably receiving therein the chain length portion of a constant cross-sectional dimension. The prongs have a space thereinbetween greater than the width of the necked down chain portion but less than the width of the remainder of the chain length.
The instant invention may also define a jewelry piece, having a first flexible member having a discrete length and including co-operating inter-connectable clasp portions on opposite ends thereof. A major length portion of the first member is of substantially constant cross-sectional outline and a minor length portion, proximate one of the clasp portions is or reduced width being necked down providing a cross-sectional outline smaller than that of the the major length portion. A second decorative jewelry piece is mounted thereto. The second decorative jewelry piece has a front face and a rear face, and an open ended channel on the rear face. The channel extends in a direction there across and slidably receiving therein the first member. An opening into the channel that is narrower in width than the channel and wider than the necked down portion of the first member permits removably mounting the decorative second member on the first flexible member.